Drinking beer for a cancer cure?

When Todd Ruggere approached the bar at The Islander in Osterville on Saturday evening, he was getting ready to do a good deed.

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By ABBY EISENBERG

capecodtimes.com

By ABBY EISENBERG

Posted Jun. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jun 16, 2013 at 9:37 AM

By ABBY EISENBERG

Posted Jun. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jun 16, 2013 at 9:37 AM

» Social News

OSTERVILLE — When Todd Ruggere approached the bar at The Islander in Osterville on Saturday evening, he was getting ready to do a good deed.

He sat down on a stool and ordered a Samuel Adams Summer Ale — his fourth that day. He got out his Massachusetts state map, and started planning. This is stop 249; he's still got 102 to go. Maybe tomorrow, he'll try to hit Nantucket.

Since January, Ruggere, 38, has been on a mission to drink a beer in each of Massachusett's 351 towns and cities in one year to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

The unorthodox campaign started as a simple conversation with friends.

Ruggere, a Weymouth native now living in Grafton, knew there were 351 towns in Massachusetts. But when he tried to name them all, he could only get about 150. When he looked up the full list, he was struck by some of the stranger ones — like Florida and Peru — and set out to have a beer in every one. A Sam Adams, to be precise. His favorite kind.

But as time went on, his idea evolved.

He would turn his quest into a fundraiser for the pediatric division at Dana-Farber. At each stop, he would try to get people to pledge money to the organization.

Ruggere has no personal connection to cancer, so why Dana-Farber? The organization's advertisements had long gotten his attention, he said, and he'd wanted to help but wasn't sure how.

Here was his chance. So far, he's raised almost $25,000 — five times his initial goal of $5,000.

"There's something about beer," Ruggere said. "If I would've decided to have a Coke in each town, it wouldn't have been as big."

Ruggere is one of a long line of unique fundraising events for Dana-Farber that have included pigeon races, a zucchini festival and a tour of baseball stadiums, Molly McHale, associate director of media relations for the institute said in a written statement.

"It is inspiring when people take initiative to raise money to support cancer research and care," McHale wrote. "Todd's very creative approach isn't one that we would undertake ourselves, but we are grateful for his efforts, and wish him great success."

Ruggere's journey started off low-key with him drinking four beers alone in his Grafton apartment. His 3-year-old puggle, Zenyatta, was his witness.

But as he started to make more trips, he gained support of the people he met. He really got the public's attention during his stop in Waltham, where he was met by NBC film crews. Soon after, he began to be featured on television, on the radio, and in newspapers. The calls started pouring in from people wanting to help.

One of those calls was from Joe Dunn, who, with his wife Bev, owns The Islander as well as The Island Merchant in Hyannis, both stops on Ruggere's journey.

Dunn first heard about Ruggere on the radio when he was driving his mother from the Cape to Dana-Farber for a chemotherapy treatment. Dunn was impressed.

"It was a simple, fun idea and he was enthusiastic about what he was doing," he said.

Ruggere said he's been surprised by how many people from all over the state have reached out to him. They've opened their homes to him and offered him food, rides, beer and recommendations on where to go next.

"Everyone helps out," Ruggere said. "It gives you hope, you know?"

He's also been surprised at some of the places where he's ended up: Places like Gosnold, which has a year-round population of about 30 and is one of Massachusetts' eight dry towns. Thanks to the coordination of Lisa Wright, Gosnold's town clerk, the town held a cookout in his honor that raised more than $400. Wright had just lost a friend to cancer, and he said she was happy to help Ruggere on his mission.

"It was just a small event, but (Ruggere) seemed very appreciative," she said.

About halfway through his beer at The Islander, Mary Miller approached Ruggere to ask what he was doing. After he explained, she shook his hand and quietly thanked him. Miller was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and has gotten treatment at Dana-Farber. Ruggere said that at almost every stop, someone comes to him with a similar story. He said he's been shocked to learn the extent of the disease.

"It's fascinating," Miller said of Ruggere's project. She was amazed that he took on such an undertaking without any personal connection to the cause. "These are the kinds of people we need," she said.

So, what's up next for Ruggere? He's been invited to drink at a nudist colony on July 7 in Hancock — clothes optional. He'll also hit Monroe, a town so small you can't even park in it.

His last stop will be the Sam Adams brewery in Boston — hopefully by early September.

"I've never been so passionate about anything in my whole life," Ruggere said. "If I had to jump out of a plane with a parachute to get to a place, I'd do it."

For stories from the rest of Ruggere's journey, visit his blog at www.351samadams.com.